This reflects a deep misunderstanding of anarcho-communism which I once shared. As someone who uses a broader definition of 'state' which comes into conflict with most anarchists' narrower definition of 'state', I find it more helpful to think of anarcho-communism as an extremely decentralized, directly democratic state without bureaucratic specialists or private property. When someone fucks around, the community gets together to vote on what kind of 'find out' follows, and then, as a community, agrees to enforce it.
There are complete and functioning examples of anarcho-communism in the 20th century, but every individual piece of the puzzle also has historical precedent. Collective enforcement is very common in secure-but-isolated and rural areas before the modern-era; collective decision-making has precedent essentially wherever and whenever a community lacks long-standing decision-making institutions or a 'strong-man', etc etc.
What if a secure-but-isolated rural area has a group who enforces christo-fascist ideological beliefs such as banning maternal medication and care, but the small (comparative to share of total population) vocal group has better guns due to their larger organizational structure spanning churches in several psuedo-states?
Right, anarchy is anti-authoritarian idealism. Like all utopian ideals, it's intended to be more of an abstract imperative, in this case to reduce vertical hierarchy, more than a positive expression that the most just society is one where there exists exactly zero vertical hierarchy.
One is about finding a common understanding of what anarchism means, the other about how to achieve it.
To understand what no vertical power structure could look like, you could imagine a friend group going to the park together. Who suggests what will differ and change over time, but no one inherently has any power over another.
If we employ a little fantasy, in a post scarcity society (think Star Trek or The Culture), where any conceivable need and whim can be catered for, there is no reason for misbehaviour or crime, and thus no need for enforcement - this is also anarchist.
As to how we get to such a state of being, I can't say. Traditions, history, and cultural trauma seem unbridgeable in less than several generations, and even then we would need more resources and knowledge than I think humanity could have on this level on the Kardashev scale.
No. In politics, Anarchism doesn’t mean ‘no rules, everyone for themselves!’, more like everyone for each other. Well, unless you take AnCaps seriously…
But regardless, it’s an ideology, not a lack of ideology, and it helps Anarchists to identify and spread their message to use symbols like the flag.
It's for one specific strain of anarchism: Anarcho-communism (anarcho-syndicalism uses these colors, too, but it's usually used for AnCom).
There are several designs for the different kinds of anarchism. Usually, it's diagonal-black and some other color (e.g.: violet: anarcho-feminism, green: eco-anarchism, ...).
Yellow doesn't count, since ancaps aren't anarchist.
Doesn't look like an official symbol, and it's also used for signaling. Libertarian socialism?
Cool quote about the black flag, another traditional anarchist flag:
The black flag is the negation of all flags. It is a negation of nationhood ... Black is a mood of anger and outrage at all the hideous crimes against humanity perpetrated in the name of allegiance to one state or another ... But black is also beautiful. It is a colour of determination, of resolve, of strength, a colour by which all others are clarified and defined ... So black is negation, is anger, is outrage, is mourning, is beauty, is hope, is the fostering and sheltering of new forms of human life and relationship on and with this earth
Doesn't look like an official symbol, and it's also used for signaling. Libertarian socialism?
It has been used by the spanish CNT/FAI, so at least since the 1930s.
Libertarian socialism is just another term for anarcho-communism.
The fact that "libertarian" is mostly connotated with ancaps goes back to Murray Rothbard, who "stole" the term. Before him, "libertarian" was a synonym for "anarchist".
Arkhos (as in an-arkhos = anarchy) means "chief" (anarchy = no chief).
Anarchy, loosely, is governance without a figurehead or centralized leadership. I'd argue the stars and stripes doesn't mean "Biden" or even "the executive branch", the union jack doesn't mean "Rishi Sunak" and the tricolor doesn't mean "Macron"
I'd argue you could radically amend the system of government and still keep the flag.
Food beyond compare. Food beyond belief! Mix it in a mincer and pretend it's beef. Kidney of a horse, liver of a cat, filling up the sausages with this and that.
Someone hand this individual a Grammy! Their entire life has led up to the point of the creation of this masterpiece! The generations that follow will remember your name (that I can't read unfortunately) with tears in their eyes like this- "😂".
'Had to look it up... That's the anarchist flag.
Spontaneously I thought it was some kind of boat signal flag.
For when the boat has no captain
NO BOSUNS, NO CAPTAINS
Kinda looks like “O”
One of the many. Red and black is used by anarcho-communists/anarcho-syndicalists.
They have more than one flag? They should all get together and have some kind of symposium to pick a single flag. Get on the same page and all that.
I think the fully black flag would over all anarchists but leftists have a very ironic love for flags so there's all sorts of flags.
Anarchy does not mean "no laws or regulations". Anarchy means "no vertical power structures".
BTW, Marx's idea of a classless, stateless society is essentially anarchist.
This reflects a deep misunderstanding of anarcho-communism which I once shared. As someone who uses a broader definition of 'state' which comes into conflict with most anarchists' narrower definition of 'state', I find it more helpful to think of anarcho-communism as an extremely decentralized, directly democratic state without bureaucratic specialists or private property. When someone fucks around, the community gets together to vote on what kind of 'find out' follows, and then, as a community, agrees to enforce it.
There are complete and functioning examples of anarcho-communism in the 20th century, but every individual piece of the puzzle also has historical precedent. Collective enforcement is very common in secure-but-isolated and rural areas before the modern-era; collective decision-making has precedent essentially wherever and whenever a community lacks long-standing decision-making institutions or a 'strong-man', etc etc.
Then you have the Spanish Civil War.
Right, anarchy is anti-authoritarian idealism. Like all utopian ideals, it's intended to be more of an abstract imperative, in this case to reduce vertical hierarchy, more than a positive expression that the most just society is one where there exists exactly zero vertical hierarchy.
There are two levels of discussion here.
One is about finding a common understanding of what anarchism means, the other about how to achieve it.
To understand what no vertical power structure could look like, you could imagine a friend group going to the park together. Who suggests what will differ and change over time, but no one inherently has any power over another.
If we employ a little fantasy, in a post scarcity society (think Star Trek or The Culture), where any conceivable need and whim can be catered for, there is no reason for misbehaviour or crime, and thus no need for enforcement - this is also anarchist.
As to how we get to such a state of being, I can't say. Traditions, history, and cultural trauma seem unbridgeable in less than several generations, and even then we would need more resources and knowledge than I think humanity could have on this level on the Kardashev scale.
I also had to look it up. To be more precise, it's the anarcho-communist flag. Where red stands for communism and black for anarchy.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communist_symbolism#Red_and_black_flag
Isn't having a flag kind of antithetical to anarchism?
No. In politics, Anarchism doesn’t mean ‘no rules, everyone for themselves!’, more like everyone for each other. Well, unless you take AnCaps seriously…
But regardless, it’s an ideology, not a lack of ideology, and it helps Anarchists to identify and spread their message to use symbols like the flag.
An-coms are like small government socialists. Give means of production to the local unions! Abolish corps! Abolish federal government!
Well we had to start calling ourselves anarchists because the capitalists stole our word for libertarian you see.
Anarchism is a complex web of horizontal structures, not the absence of it. Having uniting symbolism is perfectly fine.
The concept of an official symbol for anarchy seems antithetical
It's for one specific strain of anarchism: Anarcho-communism (anarcho-syndicalism uses these colors, too, but it's usually used for AnCom).
There are several designs for the different kinds of anarchism. Usually, it's diagonal-black and some other color (e.g.: violet: anarcho-feminism, green: eco-anarchism, ...).
Yellow doesn't count, since ancaps aren't anarchist.
Edit: typo
Doesn't look like an official symbol, and it's also used for signaling. Libertarian socialism?
Cool quote about the black flag, another traditional anarchist flag:
The black flag is the negation of all flags. It is a negation of nationhood ... Black is a mood of anger and outrage at all the hideous crimes against humanity perpetrated in the name of allegiance to one state or another ... But black is also beautiful. It is a colour of determination, of resolve, of strength, a colour by which all others are clarified and defined ... So black is negation, is anger, is outrage, is mourning, is beauty, is hope, is the fostering and sheltering of new forms of human life and relationship on and with this earth
It has been used by the spanish CNT/FAI, so at least since the 1930s.
Libertarian socialism is just another term for anarcho-communism.
The fact that "libertarian" is mostly connotated with ancaps goes back to Murray Rothbard, who "stole" the term. Before him, "libertarian" was a synonym for "anarchist".
Honestly, once I understood this, I found anarcho-communism much more understandable. Funny what power there is in words.
Oh thank goodness. Thank you. Well I am totally down with Anarcho communism
Arkhos (as in an-arkhos = anarchy) means "chief" (anarchy = no chief).
Anarchy, loosely, is governance without a figurehead or centralized leadership. I'd argue the stars and stripes doesn't mean "Biden" or even "the executive branch", the union jack doesn't mean "Rishi Sunak" and the tricolor doesn't mean "Macron"
I'd argue you could radically amend the system of government and still keep the flag.
I reject your
realityflag and substitute my own.Whoops
Anarchism isn't the absence of structure, but the presence of a complex web of horizontal organization.
It's the pride flag for those really really wanting to fuck the government.
Or roleplaying that the government is fucking them... while they refuse to participate in or cooperate with that government...
Red - the blood of angry men!
Black - the dark of ages past!
Red - a world about to dawn!
Black - the night that ends at last!
Red - Ketchup
Black - Caviar
So yummy together
Food beyond compare. Food beyond belief! Mix it in a mincer and pretend it's beef. Kidney of a horse, liver of a cat, filling up the sausages with this and that.
Someone hand this individual a Grammy! Their entire life has led up to the point of the creation of this masterpiece! The generations that follow will remember your name (that I can't read unfortunately) with tears in their eyes like this- "😂".
Is this some poem I should know about
Les Mis